After a long deliberation, I finally decided on the Chirashi Sushi & Wakame Soba Set, or the Vinegared Rice topped with Fresh Raw Seafood and Thin Egg Slices, along with a bowl of Buckwheat Noodles Soup garnished with Seaweed.
Although the Soba was extraordinary lacklustre – as it tasted like any other instant noodles, but with a softer texture, the Chirashi was up to scratch. Not only was the presentation of the dish enthralling, the ingredients were fresh.
It was especially pure pleasure for the Large Reddish Salmon Roe to go with the rice – each bite produces an amazing explosion of saltiness (due to a method handed down from the Taisho Period (1912-1926) of using salt to preserve the salmon roe) – simply bringing me back to memories lane of my last Chirashi Bowl in David Jones Basement, Perth.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Tucked at a quiet corner of a mega shopping mall, Vivocity, you will find a small café – Fre(n)sh. Shouting at the top of their entrance reads “Authentic French Café & Restaurant”.
French cuisine considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical or grande cuisine and provincial styles. Many of the world's greatest chefs are, or were masters of French cuisine. Although this French café is not some fanciful fine dining restaurant, they do served traditional French cuisine known as Tartines, or Open Sandwiches. I tried the Smoked Salmon with Avocado Tartine, and it was good.
But however it would have been better if the avocado was not in the form of a spread, but slice pieces from the fruit instead. The Crème Brulee was nevertheless outstanding – touched freshly only when you ordered; the layer of sugar coating was thin and burned to perfection.
Just a simple knock with the back of the spoon enables you to enjoy the sugar coated dessert – unlike others I have tried that comes thickly coated. If you wish to have a simple meal in a quiet environment, this is the place to be.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
A farewell dinner for a fellow colleague brought us to her much-loved dining place before her departure – known as the only Tonkatsu Specialty chain restaurant in Singapore that serves authentic Tonkatsu – Tonkichi has 3 outlets in Singapore, Ngee Ann City, Suntec City and Isetan Scotts. We were at the Ngee Ann City outlet.
The interesting thing at Tonkichi is that while waiting for the food to come, they made you work for your food.
Each of us is given a bowl of sesame seeds to grind and pound, until it is fine enough to mix it with the thick Japanese Worcestershire Sauce called Tonkatsu Sauce.
While waiting, we also ordered the Chawanmushi, which was pretty delicious I must say.
The ingredients were generous, unlike many others who often take their customer for a ride, and the egg was soft and silky – easy for the throat. The Hire Katsu, or Deep Fried Pork Fillet along with the Ebi Furai, or the Fried Breaded Prawns, were the first to arrive.
Highly recommended by my colleague, the prawns were fresh and crunchy, being firm and yet providing contrast to the texture of the Panko, or Japanese Bread Crumbs. However, I was not impressed by the Hire Katsu, preferring the one I had at Tampopo. I felt that the meat though tender, lacked the texture and taste of pork. For a dollar lesser, I actually preferred the Rosu Kastu, or the Deep Fried Pork Loin.
Though the texture being slightly tougher, I like the bite of the meat – what a real piece of pork should taste like! What’s more they also give you unlimited refills of a finely shredded lettuce to lessen the guilt in your conscience after eating all that fried stuff.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Boldly claimed to be the Most Authentic Indonesian Grilled Chicken you can find in Singapore, Ayam Bakar in the Malay language simply means “Grilled Chicken”, while Ojolali when translated from Javanese to English means “Do Not Forget”.
In short, once u tried their chicken, it will leave you with an unforgettable experience – and dare I audaciously say a reverberating YES! In fact it was so good that I was kinda reluctant and hesitant to share this place with you guys, as the place is already so crowded with customers every time I frequent there. For starter, we tried the Pempek, or the Traditional Palembang Fried Fish Cake.
Unlike the normal fish cake that we, Chinese, are familiar with – salty and full of bite, their version was slightly bland and funnily chewy. This was the only dish so far that I have tried in the restaurant that failed to win me over. Of course, when the main arrived it was a totally different story. Original Chef Specialty, the Ayam Bakar was succulent and deeply enriched by the special spices.
Accompanied by the Sambal Ulek (Oelek) and Sambal Kecap, or Dark Sauce with Chili Padi and Onions, the combination is simply godsend. Paired it up with my favourite sugar-high Happy Soda, a Rose Syruped Drink Downed with Excess Condense Milk. It is so sweet that you are literally happy, or high with sugar rush.
Other recommendations to go for are their Ikan Bawal Bakar or Grilled Pomfret, their Rawon, or the Indonesian Beef Stew, and their Sup Buntut, or the Oxtail Soup. Sedup!!!
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Polarbearsaid: Wow you really make it sound very good. I wanna to give it a try! 19 Feb 2008 at 12:32 am
His Food Blogsaid: hehe... yep its so good that I am reluctant to share... I have tried other Ayam Bakar places but none can match up to them so far.. 19 Feb 2008 at 12:46 am
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Over at The French Stall, French expatriates dine alongside locals as everyone sits elbow to elbow in this quaint corner coffeeshop, chattering above the droning whir of wall-mounted electric fans. Oversees by Mr Xavier Le Henaff, who was a chef with a 5-star hotel (presently a Relais Chateau) in Madina, all of us went with high expectations but alas it was not meant to be. For starters, we had the French Onion Soup.
Two slices of Baguette with Mozarella Cheese were soaked in the soup. However, the soup lacked the overwhelming onion flavour and was watery. We also tried the Demi-douzaine D’Escargots Petit Gris au Beurre a L’Ail, or simply Escargots (half dozen) in Garlic Butter Sauce.
The dish was shameful as I was expecting it to come intact with shells such that the flavour could be trapped and sealed in it, but it was not and the taste was a total letdown. The snails were tasteless, as the sauce was not infused nicely with it. We also sampled the infamous Foie Gras, but however their Pan Fried Foie Gras, Spinach and Balsamic Jus was not up to scratch as well. For a dish priced at $18.80, all we had was two pathetic thinly sliced liver that was overcooked and mushy.
I am a firm believer that Foie Gras, just like a good piece of steak, need not come too big a serving, but it must be thick - a thin slice of liver simply does not do this dish justice! Ended off the night with a main of Duck Confit with Orange Peel sitting on Risotto, and was really disillusioned once again. The serving was small and the meat was way to dry for consumption.
The duck taste was totally overwhelmed by the crispy burnt smell from the cooking process. Service was also found to be wanting at the place as mismatch utensils, or worse, no utensils were provided for some of our dishes. One of their service staff was also rather rude when she spoke to us and blatantly ignored us when she walked past our tables subsequently. Outrageously miserable food that comes in a hefty bill is simply not worth it!
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
1=SGD 0.0587
Although the Soba was extraordinary lacklustre – as it tasted like any other instant noodles, but with a softer texture, the Chirashi was up to scratch. Not only was the presentation of the dish enthralling, the ingredients were fresh.
It was especially pure pleasure for the Large Reddish Salmon Roe to go with the rice – each bite produces an amazing explosion of saltiness (due to a method handed down from the Taisho Period (1912-1926) of using salt to preserve the salmon roe) – simply bringing me back to memories lane of my last Chirashi Bowl in David Jones Basement, Perth.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
French cuisine considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical or grande cuisine and provincial styles. Many of the world's greatest chefs are, or were masters of French cuisine. Although this French café is not some fanciful fine dining restaurant, they do served traditional French cuisine known as Tartines, or Open Sandwiches. I tried the Smoked Salmon with Avocado Tartine, and it was good.
But however it would have been better if the avocado was not in the form of a spread, but slice pieces from the fruit instead. The Crème Brulee was nevertheless outstanding – touched freshly only when you ordered; the layer of sugar coating was thin and burned to perfection.
Just a simple knock with the back of the spoon enables you to enjoy the sugar coated dessert – unlike others I have tried that comes thickly coated. If you wish to have a simple meal in a quiet environment, this is the place to be.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
The interesting thing at Tonkichi is that while waiting for the food to come, they made you work for your food.
Each of us is given a bowl of sesame seeds to grind and pound, until it is fine enough to mix it with the thick Japanese Worcestershire Sauce called Tonkatsu Sauce.
While waiting, we also ordered the Chawanmushi, which was pretty delicious I must say.
The ingredients were generous, unlike many others who often take their customer for a ride, and the egg was soft and silky – easy for the throat. The Hire Katsu, or Deep Fried Pork Fillet along with the Ebi Furai, or the Fried Breaded Prawns, were the first to arrive.
Highly recommended by my colleague, the prawns were fresh and crunchy, being firm and yet providing contrast to the texture of the Panko, or Japanese Bread Crumbs. However, I was not impressed by the Hire Katsu, preferring the one I had at Tampopo. I felt that the meat though tender, lacked the texture and taste of pork. For a dollar lesser, I actually preferred the Rosu Kastu, or the Deep Fried Pork Loin.
Though the texture being slightly tougher, I like the bite of the meat – what a real piece of pork should taste like! What’s more they also give you unlimited refills of a finely shredded lettuce to lessen the guilt in your conscience after eating all that fried stuff.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
In short, once u tried their chicken, it will leave you with an unforgettable experience – and dare I audaciously say a reverberating YES! In fact it was so good that I was kinda reluctant and hesitant to share this place with you guys, as the place is already so crowded with customers every time I frequent there. For starter, we tried the Pempek, or the Traditional Palembang Fried Fish Cake.
Unlike the normal fish cake that we, Chinese, are familiar with – salty and full of bite, their version was slightly bland and funnily chewy. This was the only dish so far that I have tried in the restaurant that failed to win me over. Of course, when the main arrived it was a totally different story. Original Chef Specialty, the Ayam Bakar was succulent and deeply enriched by the special spices.
Accompanied by the Sambal Ulek (Oelek) and Sambal Kecap, or Dark Sauce with Chili Padi and Onions, the combination is simply godsend. Paired it up with my favourite sugar-high Happy Soda, a Rose Syruped Drink Downed with Excess Condense Milk. It is so sweet that you are literally happy, or high with sugar rush.
Other recommendations to go for are their Ikan Bawal Bakar or Grilled Pomfret, their Rawon, or the Indonesian Beef Stew, and their Sup Buntut, or the Oxtail Soup. Sedup!!!
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Wow you really make it sound very good. I wanna to give it a try!
19 Feb 2008 at 12:32 am
hehe... yep its so good that I am reluctant to share... I have tried other Ayam Bakar places but none can match up to them so far..
19 Feb 2008 at 12:46 am
Two slices of Baguette with Mozarella Cheese were soaked in the soup. However, the soup lacked the overwhelming onion flavour and was watery. We also tried the Demi-douzaine D’Escargots Petit Gris au Beurre a L’Ail, or simply Escargots (half dozen) in Garlic Butter Sauce.
The dish was shameful as I was expecting it to come intact with shells such that the flavour could be trapped and sealed in it, but it was not and the taste was a total letdown. The snails were tasteless, as the sauce was not infused nicely with it. We also sampled the infamous Foie Gras, but however their Pan Fried Foie Gras, Spinach and Balsamic Jus was not up to scratch as well. For a dish priced at $18.80, all we had was two pathetic thinly sliced liver that was overcooked and mushy.
I am a firm believer that Foie Gras, just like a good piece of steak, need not come too big a serving, but it must be thick - a thin slice of liver simply does not do this dish justice! Ended off the night with a main of Duck Confit with Orange Peel sitting on Risotto, and was really disillusioned once again. The serving was small and the meat was way to dry for consumption.
The duck taste was totally overwhelmed by the crispy burnt smell from the cooking process. Service was also found to be wanting at the place as mismatch utensils, or worse, no utensils were provided for some of our dishes. One of their service staff was also rather rude when she spoke to us and blatantly ignored us when she walked past our tables subsequently. Outrageously miserable food that comes in a hefty bill is simply not worth it!
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!